中国在线健康社区中癌症患者寻求帮助行为的决定因素：来自中国的证据。

The determinants of help-seeking behaviors among cancer patients in online health communities: Evidence from China.

作者信息

Feng Xiandong, Hu Yinhuan, Pfaff Holger, Liu Sha, Wang Hui, Qi Zhen

机构信息

School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.

出版信息

Int J Med Inform. 2025 Mar;195:105767. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105767. Epub 2024 Dec 16.

DOI:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105767

PMID:39721114

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Although online health communities offer a new approach to patient interaction, the help-seeking behaviors of cancer patients within these platforms remain unexplored. This study aims to identify the determinants influencing online help-seeking behaviors among cancer patients.

METHOD

Based on motivation theory, we proposed six hypotheses and developed a research model. Data were collected from 1100 cancer patients who sought help in a leading Chinese online cancer community in March, June, and September 2023. We used the fixed-effect negative binomial model to test research hypotheses.

RESULTS

The findings indicated that the time since diagnosis (β = -0.127, P < 0.001) was negatively associated with online help-seeking behaviors among cancer patients. In contrast, social support (β = 0.002, P = 0.003) and disease stigma (β = 0.170, P < 0.001) positively influenced their help-seeking behaviors in online health communities. Furthermore, while male and female cancer patients showed decreased help-seeking behaviors as time since diagnosis increased, the decline was less pronounced for females (β = 0.040, P < 0.001). The positive impact of disease stigma on help-seeking behaviors is stronger for female patients than male patients (β = 0.098, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This research broadens the understanding of how cancer patients seek help in digital environments and enhances theoretical insights into these behaviors.

摘要

目的

尽管在线健康社区为患者互动提供了一种新途径，但癌症患者在这些平台上的求助行为仍未得到探索。本研究旨在确定影响癌症患者在线求助行为的决定因素。

方法

基于动机理论，我们提出了六个假设并构建了一个研究模型。数据收集自2023年3月、6月和9月在一个领先的中国在线癌症社区寻求帮助的1100名癌症患者。我们使用固定效应负二项式模型来检验研究假设。

结果

研究结果表明，确诊后的时间（β = -0.127，P < 0.001）与癌症患者的在线求助行为呈负相关。相比之下，社会支持（β = 0.002，P = 0.003）和疾病污名（β = 0.170，P < 0.001）对他们在在线健康社区的求助行为有积极影响。此外，虽然男性和女性癌症患者的求助行为都随着确诊时间的增加而减少，但女性的下降幅度较小（β = 0.040，P < 0.001）。疾病污名对求助行为的积极影响在女性患者中比男性患者更强（β = 0.098，P < 0.001）。